Grow A Spine
by Courier999
Summary: The year is 1988, and Sam Beckett has leapt into none other than recently-spurned Misfits groupie Constance "Clash" Montgomery. As part of his ongoing quest to set right what once went wrong, Sam must now help Clash build up a backbone and get a handle on her life. Rated T for language, tense situations, and mentions of substance use. Set shortly after the episode "Video Wars" R&R!
1. Chapter 1

QUANTUM LEAP: Grow A Spine

 _Quantum Leap_ is property of NBC/Universal. _Jem_ and related properties are property of Hasbro.

Chapter 1: Eating Dust

 _Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator- and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better._

 _His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Doctor Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap…will be the leap home._

* * *

If there was one thing Sam Beckett could never quite get used to, it was the sensation of leaping into a new body. There was always a moment of disorientation as the scientist's wandering essence worked its way into a random person who'd just been shoved out as part of the Leaper's ongoing quest/walking tour of spacetime. As such, he paid little mind to the sound of self-satisfied cackling fading into the distance.

 _Breathe in, breathe out. Now- time to see who I'm filling in for._

He turned around to see a reflective piece of sheet metal. Staring back at him was the image of a young woman with purple hair, a green jacket, and a face with all the signs of having had a good cry very recently.

"Oh boy."

* * *

 _Grow A Spine  
_ _February 4, 1988_

" _Given your fashion sense, I understand this longer-than-usual look in the mirror._ "

Sam swiveled around and laid eyes upon Al, complete with cigar and garish suit.

"Well, you're one to talk."

"Ha ha, very funny. Now, let's get to brass tacks. Right now, you're Constance "Clash" Montgomery- number-one fan, groupie, and pack mule/doormat of the Misfits."

"The ones with Glenn Danzig or-"

"The all-girl punk band that had a rivalry with the Holograms and who just left you in the dust."

"So, why am I here?"

"Ziggy says there's an 84.2 percent chance you're here to prevent Clash from just losing her marbles."

"How badly does she-"

"In about three days, she's gonna go for a fully-clothed swim in the Pacific."

"So what am I supposed to do- just bring her back to the Misfits?"

"Not exactly. You've gotta build up her backbone, make sure she's not gonna just take the Misfits' abuse and ask for more-"

"Al, I'm not a miracle worker!"

"Look, it's the only way you're gonna leap outta here."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Other Side

Clash winced as the sensation of vertigo faded. Where she'd been on a street corner mere moments before, now she was in a room with solid blue walls, a solitary table, and a single doorway.

" _Hello, Miss Montgomery._ "

The leapee turned around, eventually focusing her gaze on a black woman wearing a red turtleneck.

"W-w-who are you?!"

"Verbena Beeks, chief psychiatrist here at Project Quantum Leap. Now, I'm going to need to ask you to remain calm-"

" _Remain calm?!_ I have no idea how I got here-"

 _If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say that…_ Beeks thought.

"Miss Montgomery, I need you to not panic. Take deep breaths, and I'll explain things as best I can. It probably won't make a lick of sense to you, but I can assure you there is an explanation."

"What is it?" Clash asked, trembling with fear.

" As of a few moments ago, you and a colleague of mine named Doctor Beckett exchanged places in spacetime."

"What happened?"

Beeks sighed.

"Miss Montgomery, I need you to answer the following question as truthfully as possible: what degrees do you have?"

"A high school diploma and a two-year degree in theatre arts. Why do you ask?"

"Okay- here's the abridged version. Let's say you have a piece of string. One end represents your birth, the other represents your death. Now, if you tie the ends together, you get a loop. And if you ball the loop, all the days of your life touch each other, and you could theoretically travel from one day to another in your own lifetime."

"…so, how'd I get here again?"

"Because when Doctor Beckett had to test the theory, he got himself unstuck in time and is now stuck bouncing around like a pinball from between 1953 and 1999."

"1999? You mean I-"

"Yes, you're in the future, and Doctor Beckett is currently in the driver's seat of your body in 1988."

Clash's eyes went wide as saucers.

* * *

 _Most of the time when I make a leap, I at least have the courtesy of being in the ballpark of my host's workplace or residence. But since Constance was an unemployed groupie, 'home' in this case meant a dingy low-rent hotel room that took me at least an hour to find._

Clash's residence was, to put it diplomatically, a hovel. The kitchen sink was filled with unwashed dishes, clothes and bedding littered the floor, and stacks of sheet music filled a good deal of the remaining space. In a lonely corner sat a triptych shrine, a photo of each of the founding Misfits in the center of each panel. All around the walls were posters and albums, including one for the Holograms that'd been converted into a dartboard.

"How can anyone live like this?!" Sam finally exclaimed.

As if on cue, Al walked in from the Imaging Chamber.

"For once, we're on the same wavelength. I mean, I've seen some really lousy places before, but this one takes the cake!" the holographic observer proclaimed.

"So, how's Constance doing?"

"She had a bit of a freak-out in the Waiting Room when Verbena told her about what'd happened. Of course, everything's fine now thanks to the timely intervention of Tina-"

"Do we at least have any leads on what I should do?"

"Well, I was about to suggest you start with making nice with the Holograms, but now it looks like our best bet is for you to get an actual job."

"Al, look at this place! I'm not exactly seeing much in the way of opportunities for Constance."

"…well, as it turns out, she's got a knack for prosthetic makeup effects. I mean, she's probably not gonna be the next Tom Savini, but it'd probably get her out of this dump all the same."


End file.
